Duplicity Game Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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duplicitymemes2022-01-10 07:43 pm
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2022-01-10 07:43 pm
Entry tags:
TDM #22
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It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Yet, solace is found in the lies we tell each other, comforted by the peace of knowing that we're not alone in our depravity, and once on this path, sin itself becomes the lesser of two evils masked in a cloud of normalcy. This is how Duplicity has functioned since the beginning. The divide of power and social standing is overt in that Dominants influence the decisions made both publicly and privately while Submissives cater to the rules presented to them. It is the way of Duplicity to assign random designations at birth with no leeway in altering what has been given. Climate in the Up is far stricter than that of the Down; violating outlined personas for a Dominant or Submissive while in full view of others is punished by degree of infraction. In the Down, many tend to turn a blind eye to these sorts of offenses. To counteract the discovery of the Deceit Gene – a natural "negative" response to all stimuli – the L.I.E.S. program was founded. The program had been designed to introduce new subjects to the current environment and test for the Deceit Gene through immersion in Duplicity's standing society. Sexual impulses and encounters increase the chances of detecting the gene within these individuals. Participants are typically released from L.I.E.S. after a year; however, results have remained unsatisfactory and testing still continues. ... and you’re here! Finally! Welcome to Duplicity. After choosing a door and stepping through to the other side, the first thing that greets you are the enthusiastic faces of people in medical scrubs and pristine lab coats. Their enthusiasm translates to eagerness as they strip you of your clothes to perform a thorough examination—you will be healed, bathed, and given a paper gown to wear until your items can be processed and delivered to your residence later in the evening. You are also given a device that accesses the network as well as the time and location of orientation. If you enter Duplicity into the Up, congratulations! You’re a Dominant, which means you are immediately picked up by a limo after processing and taken to your highrise. Here, it is two Dominants per floor with separate apartments. If you enter Duplicity into the Down, congratulations! You’re a Submissive, which means you are directed towards public transportation with the address of the motel you’ll be living in. Here, it is two Submissives per room with a shared common space for all rooms. Enjoy your free time until orientation! Participation is mandatory by all new and old arrivals. Winter is here and snow flurries are common in the Up while the slush collects in the Down. |
 After stepping through the door and participating in orientation, LIERS are assembled together in the Up for a tour of Duplicity in its entirety. Seats are in pairs and randomly assigned to Dominants and Submissives alike. Traveling from Fiddler's Square, the train journeys through various parts of the Up, showcasing society and examples of lifestyle. Along the way, frequent stops are made; a variety of passengers can be seen exiting and entering the doors. A Dominant with a kneeling Submissive takes a seat near the front of the train at one stop. A small group of Submissives board and sit closer to the LIERS at another, all seemingly content in their roles. As the tour continues through the Up, the train passes close to the Market and White Wall Bridge and zips by North Park before heading into the Down and bypassing Red Wall Bridge and South Park. The train makes a "final" stop at Riddler's Square, where inhabitants of the Down are instructed to return to their temporary housing. Those who live in the Up are permitted to stay on the train and revisit the same locations while returning. |
 As a particularly heavy snowstorm blows across the city, Duplicity finds itself blanketed in white. The morning after the storm, many citizens seem to be in a particularly mischievous mood and snowballs are a common sight flying through the air. A projectile meant for someone else may hit you square in the face if you're not careful — and then it's on. Joining these impromptu snow battles is encouraged, no matter a person's designation, and even Submissives teaming up to pelt unsuspecting Dominants with snowballs is generally taken in the spirit of good fun. Not everyone is throwing snow, of course — some are rolling much larger balls and shaping them into lewd snow figures. Those feeling chilled after playing in the snow may experience the urge to warm up with someone else, skin to skin. Whether they're a stranger or a familiar face, holding hands, kissing, or getting down and dirty with the nearest willing partner is invigorating. It might even be the only way to really feel warm again. |
 (cw: aphro, humiliation kink) Want to make some quick cash? After exiting the train in the Down, there seems to be a questionable character hanging about the station. Dressed in a trenchcoat and looking more like a flasher than the businessman he claims to be, this shady recruiter offers easy money in exchange for a simple delivery. Just take a package and drop it off at the address on the label. Really, that's it! Stop asking questions. Should characters decide to open the package themselves instead, they'll discover one of the following: glitter — so much glitter, lube (appears normal, but actually contains hot pepper and will cause more than a mild tingling sensation if used anywhere sensitive), a package of flavored condoms mysteriously labeled "every flavor" (none of them taste good), candy or perfume containing an aphrodisiac that, in addition to the usual libido-boosting effect, will also cause an intense craving for humiliation. It seems to be one of those services that allows one to send anonymous prank gifts, and they're hiding behind LIERs as couriers. There's no return address or company information on or inside the package, except for a card marked Encoded Sin Corp — which does not seem to be a real company if the name is searched. Whether characters end up delivering the package — maybe even to a fellow LIER — or get into some trouble along the way, someone is getting a nasty surprise. |
 (cw: aphro, dubcon, excessive fluids, exhibitionism, public use)A small winter market has been set up along one of the major streets in the Up with stalls selling a variety of goods ranging from knitted hats and scarves, soaps, scented lotions, candles, jewelry, artwork and assorted crafts to hand-dyed bondage rope and kinky leather accessories. Food and drink stands are plentiful as well. Strings of lights crisscross the street between the roofs of the shops, providing a cheerful glow, and there are tables set up in the street itself for people to sit and chat while having a snack — if they can stand the cold. Some of the most popular treats being sold are hot chocolate, eggnog, marshmallow snowmen, and sugar cookies decorated like snowflakes. Of course, their popularity may have something to do with the effects they produce when consumed. • The hot chocolate simply gets one all hot and bothered. • The eggnog may cause heavy production of sexual fluids, a desire to be filled or covered with someone else's cream, or all of the above. • The marshmallow snowmen will make those who eat them want to invite others to use them as they please, desiring nothing more than to be molded into the perfect fucktoy. • The sugar cookies seem to induce all sorts of different cravings — after all, no two snowflakes are alike! These effects tend to last at least an hour and may, in some cases, last up to a full day. One of the jewelry shops sells an unusual selection of compass pendants and bracelets. The compass arrows spin round and round lazily while the pieces are on display. Once worn, however, that changes. The arrow will settle on a direction, but instead of pointing north it will lead directly to another person. Perhaps you should speak to them? You may even begin to feel magnetically drawn to them yourself… In the event that two people have compasses that point them at each other, the attraction will be even stronger — nearly impossible to deny. There is another shop which sells intricately designed pocket watches and small clocks. When these timepieces are stared at for an extended length of time or picked up and handled, characters will feel a brief but strong connection to their past and experience a vivid flashback to some moment that was, in whatever way, meaningful for them. After reliving the memory, they will feel compelled to speak about it to whoever is nearby. |
Please read carefully. On each Test Drive Meme, there will be a section noting character roles; these will vary each TDM. On an IC level, characters will still have gone through the doors but assignments OOCly are still randomized. When applying, there is a section of the application that denotes whether the character chooses "left" or "right." When participating on the TDM, there will be a third option. Players may link either a top level or a thread (five or more comments from their character) from the TDM and title the link as "Door Pass." This means that the player is choosing to take the designation that they were randomly assigned on the TDM, rather than taking the designation of a door. If the player decides to select a door rather than use the pass, then they are trying their luck; they may get the same designation they had on the TDM or the opposite. Once the application is submitted, players can't change their choice. To assign roles to characters for this TDM, use the following guide: If your character likes it hot, they are a Dominant. If your character prefers the cold, they are a Submissive. To Note: Characters can only swap their designation for one of the following reasons: an event occurs that allows it or there are OOC reasons that make it a necessity. Any swap always requires mod approval and each character can only ever switch once. Characters that are being reapped will keep their previous designation but players can choose to use new TDMs with different designations for fun! Test Drive threads can be used as activity proofs for characters currently in-game. Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have fun!! |
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[Temple nods.]
It probably is.
That, or a way to get us filling quota quicker.
[Then, frowning, Temple continues:]
And them doing it to LIER Dominants makes more sense than you’d expect. Though all Dominants are higher status than Submissives, the citizen-born here are all above us LIERs. I mean, LIER Dominants are still higher ranking than citizen-born Submissives in most ways, but… LIERs are still not really accorded the same rights and respect that the citizen-born get.
It’s confusing, I know, but trust me, it’ll make more sense once you’ve spent a few months here.
[Or maybe it won’t. But either way, Temple’s not sure how to explain the full complexities of Duplicity’s caste system.]
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[ He holds up his hand to show the tiers as he understands them, top to bottom. ]
Native dominants, LIER dominants, native submissives, LIER submissives. Yes? At least I'm accustomed to being at the bottom of the barrel.
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Yeah, I’d say that’s fairly accurate.
[Maybe not perfectly, but accurate enough to get by with, and so Temple figures there’s not much point getting deeper into the nuances of it all.]
[Then, frowning, Temple replies:]
I was too, when I arrived in Duplicity. And my life here, in many ways, has been better than it was back where I came from.
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...maybe that'll be true for me as well. At least this world isn't at war.
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[Surprised, Temple replies:]
Your world is at war too? Really?
[The war in Temple’s world was basically over when he left it, but Temple’s so used to it - and him - being at war that he still feels like it is.]
It seems like we have much more in common than I thought.
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I'm surprised you're surprised. Nearly everyone I've met here so far has said they came from a war. And that's not counting the guy whose life is fighting superpowered villains like he's from a comic book.
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[Temple sighs.]
Yeah, wars aren’t exactly rare in the multiverse. But I have met some people here who haven’t came from wars, so I don’t assume that everyone here is from a world at war.
[Temple grins.]
I’ve met a few people who do that. And some people with lives straight out of a cliche fantasy novel.
So, I’ve almost stopped believing that anything’s impossible.
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[ Multiverse theory was just serious nerd stuff back home but then again, wasn't everything until someone figured out how to make it real? Kazu died as a digitized mind in giant robot and he's seen his fellow LIERs using magic already. He's down to believe pretty much anything he's told happens in people's worlds at this point. ]
What did you do back home?
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[The topic of war - and his time as a sim trooper - is an unpleasant one, and Temple would prefer not to have to give the long, complex explanation that’s needed to understand exactly what sim troopers are yet again, so he doesn’t say anything else.]
[After years of explaining sim troopers to people from across the multiverse, Temple is absolutely sick of it.]
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Really?
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[Exasperated, Temple replies:]
Yeah. I was.
Surely it can’t be that shocking.
[Temple wonders if something about him has made it obvious to Kazu that he isn’t a good soldier, and what that thing that could possibly be.]
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Ah, I didn't-- it's just that you're very small.
[ That doesn't sound better, he realizes. ]
I'm more used to someone your size being a pilot or walker? One of my teammates is similarly built and uses drones in combat.
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[Temple says, still rankled:]
Yes, I suppose I am.
[Now that Kazu’s mentioned how small he is, Temple suddenly takes note of how much taller Kazu is, and he’s not sure how he feels about it.]
But I’m still a soldier.
[Not a good one, not even a proper one, but still… a soldier.]
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[ Nngh. Two strikes already with this guy... ]
Do you still train here?
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Yeah. Sometimes.
[If ‘sometimes’ means ‘a year ago, with his second Dominant, before that Dominant left,’ then yeah, sometimes. If ‘sometimes’ means the dictionary definition of ‘sometimes,’ the thing most people mean when they use the word, then nope, Temple doesn’t do it sometimes.]
[But Temple’s too embarrassed by this whole conversation to be entirely honest about how little he trains nowadays.]
Are you a soldier too?
[Temple hopes that making the conversation about Kazu instead of him will ease his embarrassment.]
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Yes. Would you like to spar sometime?
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Yeah, yeah, I would like to.
[He’s doomed. So doomed.]
[And he failed at changing the focus of the conversation.]
[Oof.]
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Excellent. Even if I'm not going home, I don't want to let myself get out of shape.
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[Temple smiles at Kazu.]
That’s sensible.
There are plenty of occasions here when being able to fight comes in useful.
[Which is true but also, Temple’s a bad fighter and thus, the ability to fight didn’t come in useful for him.]
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Are there? It was mentioned there's crime in the Down, but 'plenty' seems like a lot for a city at peace.
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[Temple nods.]
Yeah.
Duplicity’s at peace now, but there was a war here a while ago, there’s the crime in the Down you mentioned, and not all LIERs are friendly, so keeping your fighting skills sharp’s a good idea.
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There was a war here too?
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Yeah. The Dark War.
It was between Nissen and the Creator for control of the city. The Creator won it, became the mayor of Duplicity, and tightened up the rules here.
[Temple sighs.]
Things weren’t much different here before the war, but they were somewhat better than they are now.
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It was limited to the city, then? This place is really so isolated?
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Yeah, it was.
It is. There are other two cities nearby but I don’t think anyone here visits them much, and they don’t tend to have much of an effect on our lives here.
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